Decent contractor for condo renovations in Bkk?

[voyagerUSA]

I am buying a large condo in Bkk that needs some partial renovation and was shocked by the prices quoted by a few (English speaking) general contractors here. Previously I did some renovation work for a house in Hua Hin area, paying for labor and buying my own materials, and labor only cost was very reasonable. Here in Bkk I am quoted prices at least double and sometime more, in fact some prices higher than I would pay for similar work back in USA!

Anyone can recommend a few competent contractors that don't charge an arm and a leg for basic work (stuff like moving a partition wall, laying floors, raising ceiling, painting etc)? Does not need to be fluent in English as my Thai is pretty good and I have someone who can help on the language front.

Thanks in advance!

[hhgz]

Ask the condo management. They deal with dozens of contractors a week.

[trogers]

Would your renovation contractor be housing his workers in your condo unit?

Did your house in the province face working restrictions like working hours and transporting equipment, materials and trash up a high rise, while transporting labour and stuff through the gridlock of Bangkok traffic?

[The Big Mango]

^^ could add alot more to that too ,

Would like to see price comparisons on specifics from the OP.

Would be interesting.... care to share ?

Edited September 27, 2015 by The Big Mango

[huawei]

^^^ also where did he find these contractors initially.

[zappalot]

we renovated 3 condos with the same contractor for a very reasonable price (considered for the quality he delivers).

When i remember right for example the bathroom renovation (removing a bath tube, replacing all pipes (fresh and sewage water,) partly new tiles (actually marble), new sink area, new toilet, new shower, separation of the shower area including cement and such small things was about 16000 baht...

[inzman]

Unfortunately the falang contractors want western wages but don't always deliver on quality. I think it's because they still use cheap Cambodian labor and pocket the difference. Stick with a thai guy that is recommended by someone. Ask around for referrals.

[voyagerUSA]

Thank you everyone for the feedback.

The management of my condo did give me some interior designer contacts. It seems people use interior designers to organise renovations and I guess the designer then have their go to contractors. Designers are easy to find because they actively promote their services, but contractors seem to just rely on clients finding them...

I know that renovating a condo in Bkk is more costly, apart from restricted hours and difficulty removing debris the contractor is also required to post a deposit in case they damage any of the public areas. I expect to pay maybe 30% more to account for these extra costs but not 100-200% more. The guys who renovated my house were locals so they did not need to be housed.

To give a few examples of the best prices Ive been able to get to date (with materials included)

new ceiling 15 sqm 15,000 baht

demolish 6 meter internal dividing wall 18,000 baht

make new dividing wall 25,000 baht

put in a new door and frame 15,000 baht

most of these tasks do not involve expensive materials, mostly is just labor. I dont need to renovate bathrooms or kitchen thank god, but given the prices I got for the simple work I imagine it would be prohibitively expensive (as in several 100,000s)

[trogers]

Thank you everyone for the feedback.

The management of my condo did give me some interior designer contacts. It seems people use interior designers to organise renovations and I guess the designer then have their go to contractors. Designers are easy to find because they actively promote their services, but contractors seem to just rely on clients finding them...

I know that renovating a condo in Bkk is more costly, apart from restricted hours and difficulty removing debris the contractor is also required to post a deposit in case they damage any of the public areas. I expect to pay maybe 30% more to account for these extra costs but not 100-200% more. The guys who renovated my house were locals so they did not need to be housed.

To give a few examples of the best prices Ive been able to get to date (with materials included)

new ceiling 15 sqm 15,000 baht

demolish 6 meter internal dividing wall 18,000 baht

make new dividing wall 25,000 baht

put in a new door and frame 15,000 baht

most of these tasks do not involve expensive materials, mostly is just labor. I dont need to renovate bathrooms or kitchen thank god, but given the prices I got for the simple work I imagine it would be prohibitively expensive (as in several 100,000s)

Which part of Bangkok is your condo located?

[voyagerUSA]

Sathorn.. but I am not sure it would make much difference if it were Sukhumvit or Ari. Real estate prices depend on exactly location but a contractor should not care...

[trogers]

Sathorn.. but I am not sure it would make much difference if it were Sukhumvit or Ari. Real estate prices depend on exactly location but a contractor should not care...

Would be relevant for logistics reasons. A contractor already taking on jobs in, say, Rama 3 would face less cost and time to take on your job than one who is active in Ramintra...

[voyagerUSA]

yeah so far I only got full quotes from two contractors. Overall price is similar though some prices per item are quite different.. which makes me think that maybe they are just looking to make a certain amount on the project and just sort of make up the individual prices. It it was just a few items I might just pay and not waste my time even if it is overpriced, but the total cost is perhaps 700,000-800,000 so finding a cheaper option could save quite a bit of $$.

[trogers]

yeah so far I only got full quotes from two contractors. Overall price is similar though some prices per item are quite different.. which makes me think that maybe they are just looking to make a certain amount on the project and just sort of make up the individual prices. It it was just a few items I might just pay and not waste my time even if it is overpriced, but the total cost is perhaps 700,000-800,000 so finding a cheaper option could save quite a bit of $$.

Your earlier list was less than 100k, which a small contractor can handle.

Close to a million for a few month's work would require a mid sized contractor with drafting and experienced supervision support and some financial strength.

[voyagerUSA]

yes the contractors I've talked to are midsized, not small. The earlier list was just a sample of price quotes because someone here was curious. I specifically selected the items with low material costs to make it easy to compare. If you are looking at tiles or new floors, etc prices can vary widely simply because of different materials so it is impossible to compare to someone else's costs.

[voyagerUSA]

To give another example of excessive prices to replace 3 wall bedroom aircon I was quoted about 250,000. Now I know I can buy them for 20-25,000 each at homepro so thats a lot for the installation labor...

[Aussieroaming]

My brother in law does renos and new builds for a living. The biggest obstacle he has in making good money is the fact that he has to mobilise and pay for his crew to do a job out of his local area.

Even I don't ask him to do a special job rate..

[craigt3365]

I've got a guy who does design and contracting. He's got contacts for pretty much whatever you need. Super reliable, very good and reasonable prices. Reasonable considering the quality and his ability to deliver on time and in budget. He also stands by his work. He's come into our house numerous times over the past 5 years to fix stuff for free.

He's not the cheapest, but the best I've had. We hired a cheap one to do some basic stuff and had to fire him. This guy is helping us fix all the problems. Little English spoken.

He's also a super designer with a great eye for how to make things look good. Great full color plans also.

I referred him to a friend, who decided to go with another contractor because he promised to get it done a bit quicker. 3 months vs. 4-5 for what my guy was saying. Well....8 months later....the work was done and very poorly at that. And at the same price.

He's here onsite now laying some new tile in our house and fixing up the damage from the recent flooding.

[voyagerUSA]

This sounds pretty good - I just sent you a PM.. thanks!

I've got a guy who does design and contracting. He's got contacts for pretty much whatever you need. Super reliable, very good and reasonable prices. Reasonable considering the quality and his ability to deliver on time and in budget. He also stands by his work. He's come into our house numerous times over the past 5 years to fix stuff for free.

He's not the cheapest, but the best I've had. We hired a cheap one to do some basic stuff and had to fire him. This guy is helping us fix all the problems. Little English spoken.

He's also a super designer with a great eye for how to make things look good. Great full color plans also.

I referred him to a friend, who decided to go with another contractor because he promised to get it done a bit quicker. 3 months vs. 4-5 for what my guy was saying. Well....8 months later....the work was done and very poorly at that. And at the same price.

He's here onsite now laying some new tile in our house and fixing up the damage from the recent flooding.

[Granit]

On 10/1/2015 at 3:35 PM, craigt3365 said:

I've got a guy who does design and contracting. He's got contacts for pretty much whatever you need. Super reliable, very good and reasonable prices. Reasonable considering the quality and his ability to deliver on time and in budget. He also stands by his work. He's come into our house numerous times over the past 5 years to fix stuff for free.

He's not the cheapest, but the best I've had. We hired a cheap one to do some basic stuff and had to fire him. This guy is helping us fix all the problems. Little English spoken.

He's also a super designer with a great eye for how to make things look good. Great full color plans also.

I referred him to a friend, who decided to go with another contractor because he promised to get it done a bit quicker. 3 months vs. 4-5 for what my guy was saying. Well....8 months later....the work was done and very poorly at that. And at the same price.

He's here onsite now laying some new tile in our house and fixing up the damage from the recent flooding.

Sent you a PM, I am in need of such a guy for some work in my condo.